West Yorkshire firefighters remain in Cumbria to help with flood relief effort

West Yorkshire firefighters assist with flood relief effort in Cumbria. Photograph: West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

Published:10:59Monday 07 December 2015

Around 15 firefighters from West Yorkshire remain in Cumbria today to assist with the flood relief effort.

West Yorkshire Fire Service sent officers to help with a national response to serious flooding which hit parts of Lancashire and Cumbria the worst.

West Yorkshire firefighters assist with flood relief effort in Cumbria. Photograph: West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

Steve Beckley, West Yorkshire’s deputy chief fire officer, said: “We received a call from the Fire and Rescue Service National Coordination Centre late Saturday afternoon asking for support in areas which have been hardest hit from the heavy rainfall, and we were of course happy to assist with our specialist crews and officers who are trained for such situations.

“Major flooding events often require a larger effort than the local area can deliver and this is all part of our national resilience role.

“Our crews stood up very quickly and we had three teams deployed with the ability to carry out water rescue within just a few hours.